Method for installing protective member and device for installing protective member

Abstract

To provide a method for installing a protective member which reduces a labor for peeling a protective member from a support table, and can reduce an influence of heat from a pressing member.SOLUTION: A method for installing a protective member that installs a protective member 110 in a workpiece includes: a sheet formation step of sandwiching an outer edge part of a thermoplastic resin (thermoplastic resin block 100-1) and pulling the outer edge part from at least four sides, while heating and softening or melting the thermoplastic resin (thermoplastic resin block 100-1) formed in a plate shape, thereby forming a sheet-like protective member 110; and an integration step of integrating the workpiece with the protective member 110 while bringing the protective member 110 formed in the sheet shape into close contact with the workpiece while heating, after the sheet formation step.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for installing a protective member. and a device for installing protective members Regarding. [Background technology]

[0002] When a plate-shaped workpiece such as a semiconductor wafer is ground to thin it or divided by using a cutting blade or laser beam irradiation, the workpiece is held on a chuck table. In this case, if the workpiece is placed directly on the chuck table, it may be damaged or contaminated, and may not be able to be transported all at once after division. Therefore, adhesive tape is generally attached to the surface that comes into contact with the holding surface of the chuck table (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] However, when the adhesive tape is peeled off from the workpiece, residues of adhesive and the like may remain on the workpiece. To address this, a method has been proposed in which a thermoplastic resin in a lump, string, granular, or fluid state is supplied to the support surface of a flat support table, and then heated and spread to form a sheet-like protective member, which is then adhered to the workpiece (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-021017 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-082631 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The protective member formed by the method of Patent Document 2 can be bonded by heating without using an adhesive layer, which has the advantage of leaving no residue when peeled off from the workpiece. However, there are also issues such as the time-consuming task of peeling the protective member off the support table and the difficulty in achieving thickness accuracy of the protective member because the member used for pressing expands due to heat.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a method for installing a protective member that can reduce the time and effort required to peel the protective member off the support table and reduce the influence of heat from the pressing member. and a device for installing protective members The purpose is to provide [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the method for installing a protective member of the present invention is a method for installing a protective member on a workpiece, which comprises heating a thermoplastic resin formed in a plate shape to soften or melt it, and clamping an outer edge of the thermoplastic resin. The sheet clamping unit is moved in a direction away from the thermoplastic resin, so that the thermoplastic resin is clamped by the sheet clamping unit. Pull from at least four sides And extend and an integration step in which, after the sheet formation step, the sheet-shaped protective member is heated and brought into close contact with the workpiece, thereby integrating the workpiece and the protective member. In the sheet-forming step, the thickness of the protective member may be adjusted by controlling the amount of tension. To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, a method for installing a protective member on a workpiece of the present invention includes a sheet-forming step of forming a sheet-like protective member by heating a plate-shaped thermoplastic resin to soften or melt it and clamping an outer edge of the thermoplastic resin and pulling it from at least four sides, and an integration step of, after the sheet-forming step, heating the sheet-shaped protective member and bringing it into close contact with the workpiece to integrate them, wherein the thickness of the protective member is adjusted by controlling the amount of tension in the sheet-forming step.

[0008] In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the device for installing a protective member of the present invention is a device for installing a protective member on a workpiece, and is equipped with a sheet clamping unit that clamps the outer edge of the thermoplastic resin from at least four sides, a moving unit that moves the sheet clamping unit in a direction away from the thermoplastic resin, a heating unit that heats the thermoplastic resin, a holding table that holds the workpiece, and an integrating member, and is characterized in that the thermoplastic resin formed into a plate shape is heated and softened or melted by the heating unit, and the sheet clamping unit that clamps the outer edge of the thermoplastic resin is moved in a direction away from the thermoplastic resin, thereby forming a sheet-like protective member by pulling the thermoplastic resin from at least four sides with the sheet clamping unit, and while the sheet-shaped protective member is heated, the integrating member integrates the protective member with the workpiece held on the holding table. The device may further include a control unit, which may adjust the thickness of the protective member by controlling the amount of pulling when the thermoplastic resin is pulled from at least four sides to form a sheet-like protective member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The present invention can reduce the time and effort required to peel off the protective member from the support table and can also reduce the influence of heat from the pressing member. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a method for installing a protection member according to an embodiment. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a workpiece on which a protective member is to be installed in the protective member installation method according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another example of a workpiece on which a protective member is to be installed in the protective member installation method according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is another perspective view of the workpiece shown in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of a thermoplastic resin used in the sheet forming step of FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another example of a thermoplastic resin used in the sheet forming step of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a top view schematically showing an example of the configuration of a sheet forming unit used in the sheet forming step of FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a top view schematically showing a part of the configuration of the sheet nipping unit of the sheet forming unit of FIG. [Figure 9] 9 is a side view schematically showing a part of the configuration of the sheet nipping unit of the sheet forming unit of FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a side view schematically showing a part of the configuration of the sheet nipping unit of the sheet forming unit of FIG. [Figure 11] 11 is a top view schematically showing another part of the configuration of the sheet nipping unit of the sheet forming unit of FIG. [Figure 12] 12 is a top view schematically showing another part of the configuration of the sheet nipping unit of the sheet forming unit of FIG. [Figure 13] 13 is a top view schematically showing another part of the configuration of the sheet nipping unit of the sheet forming unit of FIG. [Figure 14] 14 is a cross-sectional view for schematically explaining the sheet forming step of FIG. 1 by the sheet forming unit of FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a top view for schematically explaining another example of the sheet forming step of FIG. [Figure 16]FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of the integration step of FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another example of the integration step of FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of the excess region removal process in the integration step of FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of processing of a workpiece on which a protective member is installed by the protective member installation method of FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another example of processing of a workpiece on which a protective member is installed by the protective member installation method of FIG. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another example of processing of a workpiece on which a protective member is installed by the protective member installation method of FIG. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a top view for schematically explaining a sheet forming step in a method for installing a protection member according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Modes (embodiments) for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the contents described in the following embodiments. Furthermore, the components described below include those that can be easily imagined by a person skilled in the art and those that are substantially the same. Furthermore, the configurations described below can be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the configuration can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0012] [Embodiment] A method for installing a protective member according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a flowchart showing the processing steps of the method for installing a protective member according to the embodiment. The method for installing a protective member according to the embodiment is a method for installing a protective member 110 (see Figs. 13, 14, etc.) on one surface of a workpiece 1 shown in Fig. 2 or a workpiece 1-2 shown in Figs. 3 and 4, which will be described later, and includes a sheet forming step 1001 and an integration step 1002, as shown in Fig. 1.

[0013] 2 is a perspective view showing a workpiece 1, which is an example of a workpiece on which a protective member 110 is to be installed in the protective member installation method according to the embodiment. In this embodiment, the workpiece 1 is a wafer such as a disk-shaped semiconductor wafer or optical device wafer, with a substrate 2 made of silicon, sapphire, gallium arsenide, SiC, GaN, LT (lithium tantalate), single crystal diamond, or the like. Note that the workpiece 1 is not limited to a disk shape in the present invention, and may be in other plate shapes such as a resin package substrate or a metal substrate.

[0014] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2 , the workpiece 1 has a surface 4 partitioned by a plurality of intersecting (orthogonal in this embodiment) planned division lines 3, with chip-like devices 5 formed in each region. The workpiece 1 is divided along each planned division line 3 into individual devices 5 (chips). Note that the present invention is not limited to this, and the workpiece 1 may or may not have devices 5 formed thereon. In this embodiment, the workpiece 1 has a surface 4 on which a plurality of electrode bumps 6 protruding from the surface 4 of the device 5 are mounted. The workpiece 1 and the device 5 have an uneven structure due to the bumps 6 mounted on the surface 4. Note that in this embodiment, the workpiece 1 and the device 5 do not necessarily have bumps 6 or an uneven structure on the surface 4. In this embodiment, the workpiece 1 and the device 5 have a flat back surface 7 opposite the front surface 4, but the present invention is not limited to this, and an uneven structure may be formed on the back surface 7 side.

[0015] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a workpiece 1-2, which is another example of a workpiece on which a protective member 110 is to be installed in the protective member installation method according to the embodiment. Fig. 4 is another perspective view of the workpiece 1-2 shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the workpiece 1-2 as seen from the front surface 4-2 side, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the workpiece 1-2 as seen from the back surface 7-2 side.

[0016] In this embodiment, the workpiece 1-2 is a package substrate including a wiring board 2-2 having an insulating plate and a ground line made of a conductive metal embedded within the insulating plate, and electrodes and various wiring formed on the front surface 4-2 and back surface 7-2. As shown in FIG. 3, the workpiece 1-2 is divided by a plurality of intersecting (perpendicular in this embodiment) planned division lines 3-2 into regions on the front surface 4-2, each of which is partitioned into areas. A sealant 8 (see FIG. 4) is formed on the back surface 7-2 of the wiring board 2-2 of the workpiece 1-2 to seal each device 5-2 and wires (not shown) formed on each device 5-2 by wire bonding. The sealant 8 is a so-called mold resin made of epoxy resin, silicone resin, urethane resin, unsaturated polyester resin, acrylic urethane resin, polyimide resin, or the like. The workpiece 1-2 has a concave-convex structure due to the devices 5-2 formed on the front surface 4-2 and the sealant 8 formed on the back surface 7-2. The workpiece 1-2 is divided along each of the division lines 3-2 into individual devices 5-2.

[0017] In this embodiment, the protective member is installed on the front surface 4 of the workpiece 1, which is one side of the workpiece 1, by tightly adhering and integrating a sheet-like protective member 110 onto the front surface 4, but the present invention is not limited to this. The protective member 110 may also be installed on the back surface 7 of the workpiece 1, or on the front surface 4-2 or back surface 7-2 of the workpiece 1-2. The held surface is the surface on which the workpieces 1, 1-2 and the devices 5, 5-2 are suction-held by the chuck tables 72, 82, 92 (see FIGS. 19, 20, and 21) during processing of the workpieces 1, 1-2 on which the protective member 110 is installed by the protective member installation method.

[0018] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a thermoplastic resin block 100-1, which is an example of a thermoplastic resin used in the sheet forming step 1001 of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a thermoplastic resin block 100-2, which is another example of a thermoplastic resin used in the sheet forming step 1001 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 5, the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 is a block of thermoplastic resin formed into a square plate shape. As shown in FIG. 6, the thermoplastic resin block 100-2 is a block of thermoplastic resin formed into a circular plate shape. In this specification, when there is no need to distinguish between the thermoplastic resin blocks 100-1 and 100-2, they will simply be referred to as the thermoplastic resin block 100. The thermoplastic resin block 100 is formed into a plate shape with a uniform thickness 130 within a predetermined tolerance range. In the present invention, the thermoplastic resin block 100 is not limited to a square plate shape or a circular plate shape, and may be formed into any plate shape in a plan view.

[0019] In this embodiment, the thermoplastic resin constituting the thermoplastic resin block 100 is a rigid body with no fluidity in a hardened state below its softening point, and does not substantially have the adhesive properties of an adhesive, so that excessive adhesion to one side of the workpiece 1 is suppressed compared to an adhesive tape having an adhesive layer of an adhesive or the like formed thereon. Furthermore, although the thermoplastic resin constituting the thermoplastic resin block 100 has fluidity in a softened state above its softening point, it does not substantially have the adhesive properties of an adhesive, so that excessive adhesion to one side of the workpiece 1 is suppressed compared to an adhesive tape having an adhesive layer of an adhesive or the like formed thereon.

[0020] Specific examples of the thermoplastic resin constituting the thermoplastic resin block 100 include acrylic resin, methacrylic resin, vinyl resin, polyacetal, natural rubber, butyl rubber, isoprene rubber, chloroprene rubber, polyethylene, polypropylene, poly(4-methyl-1-pentene), poly(1-butene), and other polyolefins, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, polyamides such as nylon-6, nylon-66, and polymetaxylene adipamide, polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, polyetherimide, and polyacrylonitrile. Examples of the resin include one or more selected from the group consisting of tolyl, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polysulfone, polyethersulfone, polyphenylene, ether polybutadiene resin, polycarbonate resin, thermoplastic polyimide resin, thermoplastic polyurethane resin, phenoxy resin, polyamideimide resin, fluororesin, ethylene-unsaturated carboxylic acid copolymer resin, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resin, ionomer, ethylene-vinyl acetate-maleic anhydride terpolymer resin, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer saponified resin, and ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin.

[0021] Examples of unsaturated carboxylic acids constituting the ethylene-unsaturated carboxylic acid copolymer used in the thermoplastic resin constituting the thermoplastic resin block 100 include acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid, itaconic acid, monomethyl maleate, monoethyl maleate, maleic anhydride, and itaconic anhydride. Here, the ethylene-unsaturated carboxylic acid copolymer includes not only binary copolymers of ethylene and unsaturated carboxylic acid, but also multi-component copolymers in which other monomers are copolymerized. Examples of other monomers that may be copolymerized in the ethylene-unsaturated carboxylic acid copolymer include vinyl esters such as vinyl acetate and vinyl propionate, and unsaturated carboxylic acid esters such as methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, isobutyl acrylate, n-butyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, isobutyl methacrylate, dimethyl maleate, and diethyl maleate.

[0022] In this embodiment, the softening point of the thermoplastic resin that constitutes the thermoplastic resin block 100 is a temperature in the range of 0°C to 300°C. The thermoplastic resin that constitutes the thermoplastic resin block 100 uses the compound group exemplified above, and therefore has a softening point in the range of 0°C to 300°C. The softening point of the thermoplastic resin that constitutes the thermoplastic resin block 100 can be adjusted by mixing different types of compounds exemplified above. For example, by adjusting the softening point to a temperature higher than the temperature of the workpiece 1 during dry polishing, which is approximately 40°C to 100°C, it is possible to prevent the workpiece 1 from becoming softened during dry polishing.

[0023] FIG. 7 is a top view schematically showing an example of the configuration of the sheet forming unit 10 used in the sheet forming step 1001 in FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a top view schematically showing a part of the configuration of the sheet clamping unit 11 of the sheet forming unit 10 in FIG. 7. FIGS. 9 and 10 are all side views schematically showing a part of the configuration of the sheet clamping unit 11 of the sheet forming unit 10 in FIG. 7. FIGS. 11, 12, and 13 are all top views schematically showing another part of the configuration of the sheet clamping unit 11 of the sheet forming unit 10 in FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 7, the sheet forming unit 10 includes a sheet clamping unit 11, an arm member 12, a clamping drive unit 13, a moving unit 14, and a control unit 15.

[0024] In this embodiment, the four sheet clamping units 11 are arranged opposite each of the four sides of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 and clamp the outer edge of each side of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1. Hereinafter, as shown in FIG. 7 , the direction of one pair of opposing sides of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 will be referred to as the ±X direction, and the direction of the other pair of opposing sides of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 will be referred to as the ±Y direction. The X direction and the Y direction are perpendicular to each other. In this embodiment, the four sheet clamping units 11 clamp the outer edge of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 from four directions: the +X direction, the −X direction, the +Y direction, and the −Y direction.

[0025] One arm member 12 is provided for each sheet clamping unit 11. One end of each arm member 12 is connected to the side of the sheet clamping unit 11 opposite to the side facing the thermoplastic resin block 100-1, and the other end is connected to the moving unit 14. The arm member 12 moves in a direction away from the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 in response to the driving of the moving unit 14, thereby moving the sheet clamping unit 11 in a direction away from the thermoplastic resin block 100-1.

[0026] One moving unit 14 is provided for each arm member 12. Each moving unit 14 is connected to the other end of the arm member 12. When driven, the moving unit 14 moves the arm member 12 in a direction away from or toward the thermoplastic resin block 100-1, and moves the sheet clamping unit 11 in a direction away from or toward the thermoplastic resin block 100-1.

[0027] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, each sheet clamping unit 11 includes a plurality of clamping sections 17 (five in the example shown in FIG. 8). The plurality of clamping sections 17 are arranged along each side of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 and are provided opposite each side of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, each clamping section 17 includes a first clamping member 17-1 and a second clamping member 17-2. The first clamping member 17-1 supports the underside of the outer edge of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1. The second clamping member 17-2 is attached to the first clamping member 17-1 so as to be movable relative to the first clamping member 17-1. The second clamping member 17-2 moves between an open position shown in Figure 9 in which it is spaced upward from the outer edge of each side of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 supported on the first clamping member 17-1, and a clamping position shown in Figure 10 in which it presses down on the outer edge of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 supported on the first clamping member 17-1 from above and clamps the outer edge of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 between itself and the first clamping member 17-1.

[0028] One clamping drive unit 13 is provided for each clamping unit 17 of the sheet clamping unit 11. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 10, the clamping drive unit 13 includes a spring member 13-1 and an air cylinder 13-2. One end of the spring member 13-1 is connected to the side of the second clamping member 17-2 opposite to the side facing the thermoplastic resin block 100-1, and the other end is connected to one end of the air cylinder 13-2. One end of the air cylinder 13-2 is connected to the other end of the spring member 13-1, and the other end is connected to the control unit 15. When the clamping drive unit 13 is not pulling the spring member 13-1 with the air cylinder 13-2, the second clamping member 17-2 is in an open position, and the clamping unit 17 is in an open state in which it is not clamping the thermoplastic resin block 100-1. Under the control of the control unit 15, the clamping drive unit 13 pulls the spring member 13-1 with the air cylinder 13-2, causing the spring member 13-1 to move the second clamping member 17-2 relative to the first clamping member 17-1, moving the second clamping member 17-2 to a clamping position, and clamping the outer edge of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 between the first clamping member 17-1 and the second clamping member 17-2. In this way, the clamping drive unit 13 switches between a clamping state in which the clamping unit 17 clamps the outer edge of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 and an open state in which the clamping state is released and the outer edge of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 is released. Note that the air cylinder 13-2 may be replaced with an actuator that electromagnetically moves the second clamping member 17-2 to the clamping position. Furthermore, the clamping drive unit 13 can also switch the clamping unit 17 between the open state and the clamping state using only the air cylinder 13-2, without using the spring member 13-1.

[0029] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 11 and Fig. 12, a pantograph mechanism 18 is connected to the multiple clamping sections 17 included in each sheet clamping unit 11. As shown in Fig. 11, the pantograph mechanism 18 is a mechanism that enables the sheet clamping unit 11 to expand and contract while maintaining equal spacing between the clamping sections 17. As shown in Fig. 12, the pantograph mechanism 18 has a pair of pantograph drivers 19 that drive the pantograph mechanism 18 connected to both ends in the arrangement direction of the multiple clamping sections 17 that make up the sheet clamping unit 11.

[0030] 13, the pair of sheet clamping units 11 facing each other in the X direction, the plurality of clamping sections 17 that are components thereof, and the pantograph drive section 19 connected to the plurality of clamping sections 17 via a pantograph mechanism 18 will be referred to as the sheet clamping unit 11X, the clamping section 17X, and the pantograph drive section 19X, respectively. Also, the pair of sheet clamping units 11 facing each other in the Y direction, the plurality of clamping sections 17 that are components thereof, and the pantograph drive section 19 connected to the plurality of clamping sections 17 will be referred to as the sheet clamping unit 11Y, the clamping section 17Y, and the pantograph drive section 19Y, respectively. In this embodiment, the pair of pantograph drive units 19X are each connected to a closer one of the pair of sheet clamping units 11Y, and as the pair of sheet clamping units 11Y expands in the Y direction, the spacing between the pair of pantograph drive units 19X expands in the Y direction in conjunction with the movement of the pair of sheet clamping units 11Y, thereby expanding the spacing between the multiple clamping units 17X in the Y direction while maintaining it uniform. Also, the pair of pantograph drive units 19Y are each connected to a closer one of the pair of sheet clamping units 11X, and as the pair of sheet clamping units 11X expands in the X direction, the spacing between the pair of pantograph drive units 19Y expands in the X direction in conjunction with the movement of the pair of sheet clamping units 11X, thereby expanding the spacing between the multiple clamping units 17Y in the X direction while maintaining it uniform.

[0031] The control unit 15 controls the clamping drive unit 13 and the moving unit 14 to cause the sheet forming unit 10 to perform the sheet forming step 1001. In this embodiment, the control unit 15 includes a computer system. The computer system included in the control unit 15 includes an arithmetic processing unit having a microprocessor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage device having memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or RAM (Random Access Memory), and an input / output interface device. The arithmetic processing unit of the control unit 15 performs arithmetic processing in accordance with a computer program stored in the storage device of the control unit 15, and outputs control signals for controlling the sheet forming unit 10 to each component of the sheet forming unit 10 via the input / output interface device of the sheet forming unit 10.

[0032] Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view that schematically illustrates the sheet forming step 1001 in Fig. 1 by the sheet forming unit 10 in Fig. 7. As shown in Figs. 13 and 14, the sheet forming step 1001 is a step in which a thermoplastic resin block 100, which is a plate-shaped thermoplastic resin, is heated to soften or melt it, and the outer edge of the thermoplastic resin block 100 is clamped and pulled from at least four sides to form a sheet-like protective member 110.

[0033] In the sheet forming step 1001, the control unit 15 first clamps the outer edge of each side of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1, which is arranged at a position where each side faces each sheet clamping unit 11, with the clamping portions 17 of each sheet clamping unit 11. Specifically, the control unit 15 causes the clamping drive unit 13 to open each clamping portion 17 of each sheet clamping unit 11, and then causes the movement unit 14 to move each clamping portion 17 of each sheet clamping unit 11 in a direction approaching the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 so that it comes into contact with the thermoplastic resin block 100-1, and then causes the clamping drive unit 13 to switch each sheet clamping unit 11 to the clamping state, thereby clamping the outer edge of each side of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 with the clamping portions 17 of each sheet clamping unit 11.

[0034] In the sheet forming step 1001, when the outer edge of each side of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 is clamped by each sheet clamping unit 11, for example, if the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 was supported by a support table or the like before being clamped, the support table or the like is removed, so that the parts of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 other than those clamped by each sheet clamping unit 11 are not in contact with anything and are floating in the air.

[0035] In the sheet forming step 1001, the outer edge of each side of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 is clamped by each sheet clamping unit 11, and then the thermoplastic resin block 100-1, whose outer edge is clamped by each sheet clamping unit 11, is heated by a heating unit (not shown) to a temperature at least equal to or higher than the softening point of the thermoplastic resin constituting the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 to soften or melt it. For example, the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 may be heated by a hot air blowing unit (not shown) blowing hot air from at least one surface direction of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1. Alternatively, the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 and the sheet clamping units 11 clamping the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 may be placed in a heating furnace (not shown), and the space within the heating furnace may be heated by the heating furnace.

[0036] In the sheet forming step 1001, the thermoplastic resin block 100-1, the outer edge of each side of which is clamped by each sheet clamping unit 11, is heated to soften or melt, and then the control unit 15 moves each sheet clamping unit 11, which clamps the outer edge of each side of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1, in a direction away from the thermoplastic resin block 100-1, thereby causing each sheet clamping unit 11 to stretch the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 in the planar direction, as shown in Figures 13 and 14, to form a sheet-like protective member 110. In the sheet forming step 1001, in this embodiment, specifically, the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 is pulled and stretched in four directions, namely the +X direction, the -X direction, the +Y direction, and the -Y direction, to form the sheet-like protective member 110.

[0037] In the sheet forming step 1001, by pulling from at least four sides in this manner, the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 can be expanded evenly in the planar direction, thereby improving the accuracy of the thickness 140 of the protective member 110. Here, high accuracy of the thickness 140 of the protective member 110 means that the thickness 140 of the protective member 110 is closer to the desired value and is more uniform throughout the entire protective member 110.

[0038] 13, in the sheet forming step 1001, the control unit 15 further moves each sheet clamping unit 11 in a direction away from the thermoplastic resin block 100-1, thereby widening the spacing between the pantograph drive units 19 and expanding the spacing in accordance with the stretching of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 in the planar direction while maintaining uniform spacing between the multiple clamping units 17. That is, in the sheet forming step 1001, in the present embodiment, the control unit 15 expands the spacing between the clamping units 17 in accordance with the stretching of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 in the planar direction by moving the pair of pantograph drive units 19 away from each other at the same speed as the speed at which the opposing sheet clamping units 11 are moved away from each other. By doing this, in the sheet forming step 1001 of this embodiment, the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 can be expanded more evenly in the surface direction up to the four corners by each clamping portion 17 constituting each sheet clamping unit 11, thereby suppressing the occurrence of wrinkles in the protective member 110 and forming a sheet-shaped protective member 110 with even higher accuracy in thickness 140.

[0039] In the sheet-forming step 1001, in this embodiment, the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 is gripped at its outer edge and stretched in at least four directions. The thermoplastic resin block 100-1 may be stretched by simultaneously pulling in both the ±X and ±Y directions, or by first pulling in one direction and then pulling in the remaining directions. Furthermore, in the sheet-forming step 1001, the amount of pulling in the ±X and ±Y directions may be different. For example, in the sheet-forming step 1001, when a square thermoplastic resin block 100-1 is stretched into a square sheet-like protective member 110, the block is stretched by simultaneously pulling in both the ±X and ±Y directions. Furthermore, when a square thermoplastic resin block 100-1 is stretched into a rectangular sheet-like protective member 110 to fit the workpiece 1-2 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the amount of pulling in one direction may be greater than the amount of pulling in the other direction.

[0040] In the sheet forming step 1001, the control unit 15 further controls the pulling amount 120 shown in FIG. 14 to control the thickness 140 of the sheet-like protective member 110 to be formed. Here, the pulling amount 120 is the sum of the lengths of the two locations shown in FIG. 14 and refers to the distance between the opposing sheet clamping units 11 that is increased by the time the sheet-like protective member 110 is formed, based on the distance before the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 is pulled. Specifically, in the sheet forming step 1001, the control unit 15 first calculates the desired pulling amount 120 based on the thickness 130 of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 and the desired thickness 140 of the sheet-like protective member 110 to be formed, by referring to a database of correlations that has been stored in advance in the control unit 15 and that correlates the thickness 130 of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1, the pulling amount 120, and the thickness 140 of the sheet-like protective member 110 to be formed. In the sheet forming step 1001, as the pulling amount 120 increases, the thickness 140 of the formed sheet-like protective member 110 decreases, and for example, the square of the pulling amount 120 and the thickness 140 of the formed sheet-like protective member 110 are generally inversely proportional to each other. In the sheet forming step 1001, the control unit 15 then controls the pulling amount 120 by moving the opposing sheet clamping units 11 away from each other in accordance with the calculated desired pulling amount 120, thereby forming the sheet-like protective member 110 having the desired thickness 140.

[0041] FIG. 15 is a top view illustrating another example of the sheet forming step 1001 in FIG. 1. In this embodiment, the sheet forming step 1001 forms a sheet-like protective member 110 by clamping the outer edge portions of the four sides of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 and pulling them in a direction away from the thermoplastic resin block 100-1. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the sheet-like protective member 110 may be formed by pulling at least the outer edge portions of the thermoplastic resin block 100-2 in the radial direction away from the thermoplastic resin block 100-2. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, the sheet forming step 1001 forms a circular sheet-like protective member 110 by pulling the outer edge portions in the radial direction using, for example, eight or more clamping units 17 (eight in the example shown in FIG. 15) arranged radially.

[0042] The integration step 1002 is a step in which, after the sheet formation step 1001, the sheet-shaped protective member 110 is heated and brought into close contact with the workpiece 1, thereby integrating the workpiece 1 and the protective member 110. Specifically, in the integration step 1002, the control unit 15 continues to clamp the sheet-like protective member 110 formed in the sheet forming step 1001 using each sheet clamping unit 11, while moving and placing the workpiece 1 held on the holding surface 21 (see Figures 16 and 17) of the holding table 20 (see Figures 16 and 17) below the protective member 110 clamped by each sheet clamping unit 11, so that the protective member 110 faces the surface 4 of the workpiece 1, and then heats the protective member 110 to a predetermined temperature (e.g., 150°C or higher) from the holding surface 21 side via the workpiece 1 using a heating means 22 (see Figures 16 and 17) provided in the holding table 20, while adhering the protective member 110 to the surface 4 of the workpiece 1, thereby integrating the protective member 110 and the workpiece 1. In the present invention, the heating of the protective member 110 in the unifying step 1002 is not limited to the heating means 22 described above, and may be performed by a hot air blowing unit or a heating furnace (not shown), similar to the above-described sheet forming step 1001. Alternatively, in the sheet forming step 1001, the temperature may be lowered from the heated state to an optimum temperature for bonding, and then the process may proceed to the unifying step 1002.

[0043] Fig. 16 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of the integration step 1002 in Fig. 1. In the example shown in Fig. 16, in the integration step 1002, the protective member 110 and the workpiece 1 held by the holding surface 21 of the holding table 20 are placed opposite each other, and then the protective member 110 is heated by the heating means 22 while the pressing roller 30 is rotated from one end of the surface 4 of the workpiece 1 to the other end via the protective member 110, thereby bringing the protective member 110 into close contact with the surface 4 of the workpiece 1.

[0044] Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another example of the integration step 1002 in Fig. 1. In the example shown in Fig. 17, in the integration step 1002, the protective member 110 and the workpiece 1 held by the holding surface 21 of the holding table 20 are placed opposite each other, and then, while being heated by the heating means 22, the flat pressing surface 41 of the pressing member 40, which is parallel to the holding surface 21, presses the protective member 110 against the surface 4 of the workpiece 1 with a predetermined pressing force (e.g., 0.3 MPa or more) for a predetermined time (e.g., 30 seconds or more), thereby causing the protective member 110 to adhere closely to the surface 4 of the workpiece 1.

[0045] Furthermore, the integration step 1002 may be performed by a vacuum mount in addition to the pressure roller 30 or the pressure member 40. Specifically, in the integration step 1002, the protective member 110, the sheet clamping unit 11 that clamps the protective member 110, and the workpiece 1 and the holding table 20 that heats the workpiece 1 while holding it are placed in a vacuum chamber (not shown), a predetermined gap is maintained between the protective member 110 and the surface 4 of the workpiece 1, and after the vacuum chamber is evacuated, gas is introduced into an area on the opposite side of the protective member 110 from the workpiece 1, and the air pressure difference generated via the protective member 110 causes the protective member 110 to adhere tightly to the surface 4 of the workpiece 1.

[0046] Alternatively, in the integration step 1002, the protective member 110 may be placed on the surface 4 of the workpiece 1, and then hot air at a predetermined temperature (for example, 150°C or higher) may be blown from the protective member 110 side using an industrial dryer (not shown) to heat and soften the protective member 110, thereby adhering the protective member 110 to the surface 4 of the workpiece 1.

[0047] In the integration step 1002, in this embodiment, the protective member 110 is brought into close contact with the workpiece 1 to integrate the protective member 110 and the workpiece 1. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The protective member 110 may also be brought into close contact with an annular frame that houses the workpiece 1, thereby integrating the annular frame as well. Here, the annular frame is formed in a plate shape and has a circular opening in the center with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the workpiece 1. The annular frame is made of metal such as stainless steel or resin. In the integration step 1002, the annular frame is placed on the holding table 20, for example, so as to surround the outer periphery of the workpiece 1. By integrating the protective member 110 and the workpiece 1, the workpiece 1 is housed and supported in the opening via the protective member 110.

[0048] Fig. 18 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of the excess area cutting process in the integration step 1002 in Fig. 1. In the integration step 1002, in this embodiment, after the workpiece 1 and the protective member 110 are integrated, an excess area cutting process is performed to cut off the excess area, which is a portion that protrudes from the outer edge of the workpiece 1.

[0049] 18 , in the excess area cutting process, the back surface 7 side of the workpiece 1 to which the protective member 110 has been tightly attached and integrated is held by the holding surface 51 of the holding table 50, the cutting edge of the cutter 61 of the cutting device 60 is caused to cut into the protective member 110 along the outer edge of the workpiece 1 from the opposite side to the holding table 50, and a disc 62 holding the cutter 61 is rotated about its axis by a rotary drive source (not shown), causing the cutter 61 to rotate along the outer edge of the workpiece 1 and cutting away the excess area of ​​the protective member 110 that has been tightly attached and integrated with the workpiece 1. In this way, the workpiece 1 having the protective member 110 attached to the surface 4 is obtained.

[0050] Next, this specification will explain, with reference to the drawings, a processing treatment of a workpiece 1 on which a protective member 110 is installed by the protective member installation method according to an embodiment. Figures 19, 20, and 21 are cross-sectional views each illustrating an example of a processing treatment of a workpiece 1 on which a protective member 110 is installed by the protective member installation method of Figure 1.

[0051] In the processing of the workpiece 1, in the example shown in Figure 19, the workpiece 1 is suction-held on the holding surface 73 of the chuck table 72 of the cutting device 70 via the protective member 110, and cutting fluid is supplied to the back surface 7, which is the exposed surface of the workpiece 1, while the cutting blade 71 attached to the spindle of the cutting device 70 is rotated around its axis and moved relative to the workpiece 1 on the chuck table 72 by a drive source not shown, thereby cutting the workpiece 1 from the back surface 7 side with the cutting blade 71.

[0052] 20 , the workpiece 1 is suction-held on a holding surface 83 of a chuck table 82 of a grinding device 80 via a protective member 110, and a grinding fluid supply unit 84 supplies grinding fluid 85 to the back surface 7, which is the exposed surface of the workpiece 1. A grinding wheel attached to a spindle of the grinding device 80 is rotated about its axis, and a driving source (not shown) presses a grinding stone 81, which is arranged in a ring shape on one side of the grinding wheel, against the workpiece 1 on the chuck table 72, thereby grinding the workpiece 1 from the back surface 7 side with the grinding stone 81. In this processing of the workpiece 1, the back surface 7 side of the workpiece 1 may be ground flat, or a so-called TAIKO (registered trademark) grinding process may be performed, in which only the inner periphery of the workpiece 1 is ground, leaving the outermost periphery as a side edge, to thin the workpiece 1.

[0053] 21 , in processing the workpiece 1, the workpiece 1 is suction-held on a holding surface 93 of a chuck table 92 of a laser processing device 90 via a protective member 110, and while a laser beam 95 is irradiated by a laser irradiator 91 of the laser processing device 90, the laser irradiator 91 is moved relative to the workpiece 1 on the chuck table 92 by a drive source (not shown), thereby laser processing the workpiece 1 from the rear surface 7 side with the laser beam 95. In processing the workpiece 1, so-called ablation processing may be performed in which the workpiece 1 is sublimated or evaporated by the laser beam 95 of a wavelength that is absorbable by the workpiece 1, or processing in which a modified layer is formed inside the workpiece 1 by the laser beam 95 of a wavelength that is transparent to the workpiece 1 may be performed.

[0054] In a conventional method, a sheet-like protective member is formed by heating a thermoplastic resin supplied onto a support table and spreading it with a pressing member. This can result in adhesion between the support table or the pressing member and the protective member after the protective member is formed, making it difficult to peel the protective member from the support table or the pressing member. Therefore, the protective member installation method according to the embodiment having the above configuration forms the sheet-like protective member 110 by heating a plate-shaped thermoplastic resin block 100-1 to soften or melt it, and then gripping the outer edge of the thermoplastic resin block 100-1 and stretching it from at least four sides. Since the protective member 110 is not pressed strongly against the support table or the pressing member when it is formed, there is no risk of adhesion between the support table or the pressing member and the protective member 110. This reduces the effort required to peel the protective member 110 from the support table or the pressing member and reduces the effects of heat and thermal expansion on the protective member 110 from the pressing member.

[0055] Furthermore, the protective member installation method according to the embodiment does not require peeling the protective member 110 from the support table or the pressing member, thereby reducing the risk of foreign matter getting into the protective member 110. Furthermore, the protective member installation method according to the embodiment can reduce the effects of heat and thermal expansion that the protective member 110 receives from the pressing member, thereby improving the accuracy of the thickness 140 of the protective member 110.

[0056] Furthermore, the method of installing the protective member according to the embodiment adjusts the thickness 140 of the protective member 110 by controlling the pulling amount 120, so that the accuracy of the thickness 140 is higher and it is possible to obtain a protective member 110 with the desired thickness 140.

[0057] [Modification] A method for installing a protective member according to a modified example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 22 is a top view that schematically illustrates a sheet forming step 1001 in the method for installing a protective member according to the modified example. In Fig. 22, the same parts as those in embodiment 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

[0058] The protective member installation method according to the modified example is a modification of the sheet forming step 1001 in embodiment 1. In the sheet forming step 1001 of the modified example, the target to be pulled and stretched is the thermoplastic resin block 100-2, and the way in which the thermoplastic resin block 100-2 is pulled by the sheet clamping unit 11 is modified. Specifically, in the sheet forming step 1001 of the modified example, as shown in Fig. 22, the control unit 15 moves each sheet clamping unit 11 in a direction away from the thermoplastic resin block 100-2, while not moving the pantograph mechanism 18 and the pair of pantograph driving units 19.

[0059] Therefore, in the sheet forming step 1001 of the modified example, the configuration of the sheet forming unit 10 can be simplified by the fact that the pantograph mechanism 18 and the pair of pantograph drive units 19 are not required. Furthermore, in the sheet forming step 1001 of the modified example, the spacing between the clamping units 17 is not widened in accordance with the stretching of the thermoplastic resin block 100-2. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 22 , wrinkles may occur in the four corner regions of the sheet-like protective member 110 (thermoplastic resin block 100-2). However, in the central portion of the sheet-like protective member 110, a sheet-like protective member 110 with a sufficiently high accuracy of thickness 140 can be formed. Therefore, when the four corner regions of the sheet-like protective member 110 become excess regions to be removed by the excess region removing process in the integration step 1002, the impact of wrinkles occurring in the four corner regions on the quality of the protective member 110 is sufficiently low, and therefore the sheet forming step 1001 of the modified example can be preferably performed.

[0060] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. That is, various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the thermoplastic resin used in the above-described embodiments and modifications may be colored a dark color such as black, or may be mixed with an ultraviolet absorber, for the purpose of protecting the circuit from ultraviolet rays or concealing the circuit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1,1-2 Workpiece 10 Sheet forming unit 11, 11X, 11Y sheet clamping unit 15 Control Unit 17,17X,17Y Clamping part 18 Pantograph mechanism 19, 19X, 19Y Pantograph drive unit 100, 100-1, 100-2 Thermoplastic resin block 110 Protective material 120 Pull amount 130,140 Thickness

Claims

1. A method for installing a protective member on a workpiece, comprising: a sheet forming step in which a sheet-shaped thermoplastic resin is heated to soften or melt it, and a sheet clamping unit clamping an outer edge of the thermoplastic resin is moved in a direction away from the thermoplastic resin, thereby pulling and stretching the thermoplastic resin from at least four sides with the sheet clamping unit, thereby forming a sheet-shaped protective member; an integration step of integrating the workpiece and the protective member by heating the sheet-shaped protective member and bringing it into close contact with the workpiece after the sheet formation step; A method for installing a protective member, comprising:

2. 2. The method for installing a protective member according to claim 1, wherein in the sheet forming step, the thickness of the protective member is adjusted by controlling the amount of tension.

3. A method for installing a protective member on a workpiece, comprising: a sheet forming step of forming a sheet-like protective member by heating a plate-shaped thermoplastic resin to soften or melt it, and then clamping an outer edge of the thermoplastic resin and pulling it from at least four sides; an integration step of integrating the workpiece and the protective member by heating the sheet-shaped protective member and bringing it into close contact with the workpiece after the sheet formation step; Equipped with The method for installing a protective member is characterized in that in the sheet forming step, the thickness of the protective member is adjusted by controlling the amount of tension.

4. An apparatus for installing a protective member on a workpiece, comprising: a sheet clamping unit that clamps an outer edge of the thermoplastic resin from at least four sides; a moving unit that moves the sheet clamping unit in a direction toward and away from the thermoplastic resin; a heating unit for heating the thermoplastic resin; a holding table for holding the workpiece; A member to be integrated; Equipped with The thermoplastic resin formed into a plate shape by the heating unit is heated to soften or melt, and the sheet clamping unit clamping the outer edge of the thermoplastic resin is moved in a direction away from the thermoplastic resin, thereby pulling the thermoplastic resin from at least four sides by the sheet clamping unit to form a sheet-like protective member; A protective member installation device that heats the protective member formed in a sheet shape and integrates the protective member with the workpiece held on the holding table using the integrating member.

5. The device further comprises a control unit, The device for installing a protective member as described in claim 4, characterized in that the control unit adjusts the thickness of the protective member by controlling the amount of pulling when forming a sheet-like protective member by pulling the thermoplastic resin from at least four sides.

Images